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May 19
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Aleksandr
added:
I Am Charlotte Simmons: A Novel (Paperback)
by Tom Wolfe
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Aleksandr said:
"I am an old white man who decided to write a book about the experiences of a young girl in college. I am a greatly overblown hack.
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Aleksandr
added:
Ayn Rand: Atlas Shrugged, the Fountainhead (Paperback)
by Ayn Rand
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Aleksandr said:
"The only interesting thing about this book is how millions of people adopted Rand's philosophy. Objectivism? Give me a friggin break. The way to recognize a douchebag with two years of college under their belt is to hear someone praise this or "...more
The only interesting thing about this book is how millions of people adopted Rand's philosophy. Objectivism? Give me a friggin break. The way to recognize a douchebag with two years of college under their belt is to hear someone praise this or "Atlas Shrugged". For "Randian Libertarian", read "I got mine, fuck the rest of you". Glib assholes. Same goes for "Bonfire of the Vanities". ...less
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May 08
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Aleksandr
gave
to:
The Complete Poems of Stephen Crane (Cornell Paperbacks, Cp-130)
by Stephen Crane
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Aleksandr said:
"I really can do no justice to this often overlooked poet (most read "Red Badge of Courage" in High School, and then just forget about him, criminally ignoring America's second great Goth (Poe being first)and first Emo). Instead, I'll just p...more
I really can do no justice to this often overlooked poet (most read "Red Badge of Courage" in High School, and then just forget about him, criminally ignoring America's second great Goth (Poe being first)and first Emo). Instead, I'll just post a poem of his (or two) to allow his work to speak for him.
1.
Once, I knew a fine song,
-- It is true, believe me --
It was all of birds,
And I held them in a basket;
When I opened the wicket,
Heavens! They all flew away.
I cried, "Come back, little thoughts!"
But they only laughed.
They flew on
Until they were as sand
Thrown between me and the sky.
2.
A man said to the universe:
"Sir, I exist!"
"However," replied the universe,
"The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation."
3.
Places among the stars,
Soft gardens near the sun,
Keep your distant beauty;
Shed no beams upon my weak heart.
Since she is here
In a place of blackness,
Not your golden days
Nor your silver nights
Can call me to you.
Since she is here
In a place of blackness,
Here I stay and wait....less
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Aleksandr
gave
to:
The Border Trilogy: All the Pretty Horses / The Crossing / Cities of the Plain (Everyman's Library)
by Cormac McCarthy
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Aleksandr said:
""All The Pretty Horses" is a great read, but surprisingly mainstream for McCarthy. "Cities on the Plain", on the other hand, may turn off casual readers due to its somewhat obtuse plot (there is, however, a scene in the book that ...more
"All The Pretty Horses" is a great read, but surprisingly mainstream for McCarthy. "Cities on the Plain", on the other hand, may turn off casual readers due to its somewhat obtuse plot (there is, however, a scene in the book that is one of the most intense ever written, and its worth reading the book just for that). Personally, i prefer "The Crossing". Its extremely cinematic without being verbose, and whole sections are in Spanish (two ways to read this-not understand whole paragraphs, which re-enforces a kind-of dissociation, or with a translation that can be found on the net. I recommend the latter). It fluctuates between scenes of breathtaking tenderness and beauty and those of sudden violence and apocalyptic portents. Fantastic stuff that firmly places McCarthy in the pantheon of great American writers who have developed their own distinct style such as London, Hemingway, Crane and Faulkner....less
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May 04
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Aleksandr
added a quote:
"Light is a particle and a wave. This is hard to understand, how a thing can be two things at once. But a woman is also both a particle and a wave. She’s a wave when you see her reach down to pull a shell from the sea, and you feel her beauty pass through you like electrical current. She’s a particle when her hair brushes your face, and her hands push into yours"
— Ken Kalfus
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May 02
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Aleksandr
gave
to:
Perdido Street Station (Mass Market Paperback)
by China Miéville
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Aleksandr said:
"Urban fantasy at its finest. Grotesque, magical, political and engrossing: it raises fantasy to the level of literature. Very rarely does a writer create a new world, much less one NOT populated by ripoffs from Tolkien. The two other books in the ser...more
Urban fantasy at its finest. Grotesque, magical, political and engrossing: it raises fantasy to the level of literature. Very rarely does a writer create a new world, much less one NOT populated by ripoffs from Tolkien. The two other books in the series are more overtly class conscious, but enjoyable in their own right....less
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Aleksandr
gave
to:
The Master and Margarita (Paperback)
by Mikhail Bulgakov
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Aleksandr said:
"In order to truly appreciate this work, you must be Russian. No other way around it. Just as in reading Murakami, Cervantes, Kafka, or Tolstoy, one cannot truly grasp the subtle jokes, references, double entendres and flights of language in translati...more
In order to truly appreciate this work, you must be Russian. No other way around it. Just as in reading Murakami, Cervantes, Kafka, or Tolstoy, one cannot truly grasp the subtle jokes, references, double entendres and flights of language in translation. Even the best translations are merely adaptations by lesser authors (here one can make an argument that poetry does not suffer from this; I concur wholeheartedly. Marshak's translation of Shakespeare's sonnets is fabulous). Complicating the understanding and enjoyment of this book is the lack of cultural and historical reference for non-Russian readers. Nonetheless, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good allegory (with a beautiful love story and some infernal comic relief). just make sure to ask your Russian friends for help....less
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Aleksandr
gave
to:
Foucault's Pendulum (Paperback)
by Umberto Eco
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Aleksandr said:
"Dan Brown is a hack. This work from Eco is one of he more accessible works (Name of the Rose is quite enjoyable as well), and is the gold standard for all conspiracy novels. It is quite amusing to wander through Barnes & Noble, wading past writer...more
Dan Brown is a hack. This work from Eco is one of he more accessible works (Name of the Rose is quite enjoyable as well), and is the gold standard for all conspiracy novels. It is quite amusing to wander through Barnes & Noble, wading past writers trying to ride the "Da Vinci Code" coat-tails by hewing to the following formula: 1. Search the Bible for an obscure artifact or passage. When in doubt, go with Mary Magdalene or the Spear of Destiny. The Arc is verboten ever since Spielberg (also hard to drag around during car chases). 2. Throw in Templars, Nazis, Communists, Hashishin, Rosecrucians, Cathars, Catholics, Brothers Maccabee, Druids, Orcs, Romans, neanderthals, Samurai, Pirates, or any combination thereof. Dont forget the friendly father figure (usually an academic) who will betray the enterprise by chapter 8 (no more than 10 chapters!). 3. You need a hero: white, mid-30's, square-jawed ex-Navy Seal Professor of Heuristics. Must have painful secret past (ummm...dead wife?! dead partner?! ooooooh! DEAD KID!). 4. Cardboard female love interest. Does not behave or think like any woman. Ever. Also an ex-model Professor of Anthropology. Toss in some Gnostic Gospels, a few car chases, Europe, Jungles, U-boats and TA-DA! Number 17 on NYT List. But I digress. Eco is a master of language, and some set pieces in this book will stick with you for a while. Just take care not to read too much into your Crossword puzzle clues. They DO NOT contain clues to worldwide conspiracy. ...less
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May 01
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